Water & Light

Choral Project (Artist), Daniel Hughes (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 15, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Clarion
• ASIN: B0000WTITM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,715 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, but too much vibrato, February 3, 2006

By 

WhitacreFan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Water & Light (Audio CD)

I am a huge Eric Whitacre fan, so I am always excited about his recordings. So far the best recording of his Choral works is the BYU singers, which is far superior to this recording. My biggest complaint is that nearly every piece from Water and Light is filled with vibrato. I have read some internet postings by Mr. Whitacre himself and he has said that his pieces are best sung without vibrato because the harmonies are designed to fit tightly together. All the vibrato makes the pieces not sound completely in tune (I'm am not saying that these performers are not capable of singing in tune, just that the vibrato makes the harmonies not quite as strong)

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not BYU, but worth adding to your collection, January 17, 2006

By 

O. Goodrich (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Water & Light (Audio CD)

Eric Whitacre has taken the contemporary choral music world by storm. Since the release of his collected a cappella works CD (recorded by BYU Singers/Ron Staheli), choral music fans cannot get enough of his music.

Being such a fan, I bought this CD on a whim. I was excited for the opportunity to hear recordings of several pieces not included on the BYU recording (Little Birds, She Weeps Over Rahoon, Five Hebrew Love Songs).

Whitacre's music is as aurally stunning as it is difficult to sing, and the Choral Project does an adequate job of re-interpreting these pieces. If you've gotten use to the excellent quality of the BYU recording, you may be disappointed by this album--the balance and blend of this choir leaves something to be desired at times (not to mention the overly-offensive vibrato from several of the sopranos).

Perhaps the best track on the album is the Ticheli (mostly known for his band/wind ensemble compositions) "There Will Be Rest". If you aren't familiar with this piece, it's worth buying the album just to hear this one...

All-in-all, it's worth buying this album as long as you don't set your expectations too high.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad...BYU is markedly superior., January 28, 2006

By 

DL Moulton (Hampstead, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Water & Light (Audio CD)

As the previous reviewer, I'm a huge Eric Whitacre fan. If you're looking for a recording of his Five Hebrew Love Songs (which are stunningly beautiful), may I recommend "Beautiful River" by BYU Concert Choir (on Tantara Records). In comparing the two side by side...well there is no comparison.